With a horde of players hitting the field this summer the Hun School boys’ soccer program, Pat Quirk has been busy sorting through the talent at his disposal.

“We had 65 kids come out for the three teams that we have, it is very good,” said Hun head coach Quirk, who guided his varsity team to a 5-12 record in 2015.

“They are at about the same level so we are just kind of weeding through that right now. We have a good core of returning kids from the varsity team, for sure, and we got some incoming kids that are very, very skilled. I think are going to jell well together.”

Quirk saw good signs, on and off the field, from his team as it worked through preseason.

“It has been hot but the kids have been working really hard,” added Quirk, whose team is getting its regular season under this week, with games slated for September 13 at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (Pa.) and September 15 at Academy of New Church (Pa.).

“We have been doing some stuff off field as well. We did some community service as we volunteered at an old folks home, just doing some team building stuff.”

A trio of juniors Michael Campbell, Dylan Smith, and Jake O’Dowd, along with senior Jake Keller will be looking to do some good stuff at forward this fall for the Raiders.

“From what I have seen from Michael, he is going to be a big piece,” said Quirk, noting that Campbell has been slowed by a leg injury in the preseason.

“We have a new guy playing up top in Dylan Smith. He gets pretty dangerous, he scored a couple of goals for us during preseason. Jake O’Dowd is a returner and Jake Keller who was hurt pretty much all season last year, played as a sophomore and is kind of a bigger body who can play up top as well.”

Seniors Connor Hufer and Aidan Shue together with junior Louis Bishop and Elijah Smarr figure to be the main pieces in the middle of the field.

“Connor will still be in the midfield and we have a transfer senior Aidan Shue, who played three years at Blair and took a gap year last year,” said Quirk.

“He is a real solid player and a tough tackler; he is going to be a great addition in the middle. Louis will play in the midfield. Elijah is a little guy who will definitely get some time up there too. He is a very knowledgeable soccer player. His size really deceives you because he is one of those kids that never gives up. He will be a guy who comes off the bench again; he’s a spark.”

The defensive unit will feature a mix of experience and young talent as it includes seniors Patrick Nally, James Nicholas, and Andrew Kaye together with freshmen Gibson Campbell and Owen Schinsky.

“We are going to move Nally to the back, we lost Alex Semler and our other center backs from last year and Patrick is a guy that is so versatile,” said Quirk of Nally, a four-year stalwart for the program who has primarily played in the midfield in his first three seasons with the program.

“Playing him in the back, he can see the whole field and direct guys where to go. He still has the ability to pick and choose times to go forward and he is still on our free kicks. James will be in there and Andrew is back with us, he took a year off with a back issue. I have two freshmen that we are going to lean on a lot in Gibson, Michael’s younger brother, and Owen, who came up through our middle school. They have been playing really well in the back for us.”

Senior goalie Logan Leppo has played well the last two seasons and Quirk is looking for him to have a big final campaign.

“Logan is back in goal and he is looking really good; it is his third year as a starting goalie,” said Quirk.

“He has been a good vocal leader in the back. Logan’s reactions have gotten even better than they were in the past. He has stepped his game up; I am excited to watch him.”

In Quirk’s view, Hun could have an exciting season if the team can stay away from injuries and develop a cohesion on the field.

“Staying healthy is our No. 1 goal,” said Quirk. “It is just jelling a little more as a team. We have talked about playing more together as a team; that is what we have been preaching to the guys.”